Ryou and the Mysterious Bakura
by Yunagirl07
Summary: Ryou and his mom move to Domino after his father's death. He meets wonderful people and hears a lot of nasty rumors about Bakura and Marik. But what happens when Ryou gets closer to Bakura? Are all the things that he heard true? Rated M just in case
1. Chapter 1

Today would be my first day attending Domino High. We moved to Domino city after my father died. My mother didn't want to stay in England anymore because of the constant memories of him. I begged her to let us stay, but she wouldn't listen.

No one knew what was wrong with him. He grew very sick and began to wither away. Mom put her heart and soul to heal him, but nothing changed. If anything he grew sicker and eventually stopped breathing one night.

So here we are unpacking some more items from our boxes. We arrived here three nights ago. Our house was smaller than I was used to, but I think I could manage. The town was pretty quiet, something that wasn't the same as our old town. People would always be on the road; going to work, driving their families to school-everything you could possibly think of. All of the houses seemed to look the same as our new one. I hope I wouldn't get lost.

School started a little more than an hour. I wasn't looking forward to it. The problem was that I was shy and had a hard time starting up a conversation. It took me years to make the friends that I now left behind in our old town. I couldn't imagine going through a second year of high school without friends.

I grew accustomed to having at least one friend there by me. My old friends knew me and took the time to get to know me, to have patience to get me to open up to them. I don't know what the people here are going to be like, and I think that's what scares me the most.

Mom was too tired to drive me to school so she decided to go lie down on the couch while I found something to eat. This wasn't like my mother. When dad was alive she would always have a hot meal on the table for us and her smile and laughter would light up a room in an instant. Now it seems like her spirit has faded and I don't know that stranger that is lying in the living room.

I settled on a bowl of ramen. Not that great for breakfast, but I didn't feel like searching the other boxes for a quick snack.

After eating I went up to the bathroom and searched in a box for my brush, toothpaste, and toothbrush. I quickly ran the brush through my long snow hair and put the coated toothbrush in my mouth. I didn't understand why I was rushing, but I felt like I would be late.

Not wearing a uniform to school was weird to me. I personally thought it was easier to wear a uniform than to search through your closet for something to wear. I decided to wear faded jeans that fitted nicely and a blue and white stripped shirt.

"Bye mom," I whispered, covering her with her favorite fleece horse blanket. I slipped on my shoes, put on my sweatshirt and headed out the door. It wasn't that cold, but just chilly enough that you'd want to wear some long sleeve. I wrapped my arms tightly against my chest and started walking toward the school.

When my mom and I went to Domino High to get me registered they didn't bother showing me around. They said they'd give me a map and one of the students would guide me around for the day. I was nervous, wondering if the person would like me or not, what he looks like, what if-

I looked up from the ground as I heard a door slam. Stopping in my tracks I saw a figure walking down his drive way, lighting up a cigarette. He had long snow white hair like mine and was also pale as I was. The smoker wore skinny black jeans and a leather jacket. I just stared, trying to mesmerize everything I could see. That's when I noticed him starring back at me. I stood a few feet from his driveway where he was previously standing at.

I heard a "hmph" and watched him move toward a red convertible. Hearing the keys enter the lock I realized it was his car. Before I knew it he was racing off.

* * *

Slowly making my way across the parking lot, I noticed many stares. I could feel others talking about me. I kept my arms tightly against my chest, hoping that would hide me from their curious eyes.

Before I knew it I was at the office. I'm glad my mom and I were here before.

"You must be Ryou!" was the first thing I heard when I entered the room. I looked over to a tan boy sitting up in his seat. His smile was bright and contagious.

"Yes, I am." I smiled back. I looked right into his lavender eyes. This person seemed friendly enough.

"Yay! Well let's talk to Ms. Mika and I'll show you around!" He jumped up and practically dragged me to the desk. I met Ms. Mika the other day. She was friendly enough. "My name is Malik by the way," he said while the secretary rummaged through a few papers. I nodded and smiled. After handing Malik my map, schedule, and attendance sheet we headed to my locker.

"-they tell you to write your locker number in your homework book, but I would just write it on a paper and shove it in your pocket." Malik kept talking. I wondered how he had enough breath to keep speaking the way he did.

Opening my locker wasn't hard at all since I had experience with it in my old school. Malik gave me one of his notebooks and a pen since my mom and I didn't get to the store for school supplies.

"So where are you from?" He asked as we made our way to our history class."

"England," I stated. Malik stopped and turned to face with me a shock expression. I became confused as to why he was giving me such a face.

"You speak Japanese very well, like you lived here your whole life." I couldn't help but giggle. It was true. My dad had me learn Japanese since I was little. He believed once you started speaking you should grow up with two languages. My dad decided on Japanese for me, and it definitely paid off.

I told Malik this; he thought it was the coolest thing in the world. "I only know Japanese. Well…a little English since I started that class last year-"

I was having fun talking to Malik until we reached our destination. All eyes were on me as I walked into the classroom. Malik could tell that I felt uncomfortable so he shouted at everyone, saying there was nothing to see. I laughed at that.

We walked to the back of the room to meet two other people.

"Ryou, these are my friends Yuugi and Jounouchi." One of the boys was pretty short and had tri-colored spiky hair. The other one was tall and slender, blonde messy hair. "Guys, this is Ryou. He's from England, and guess what, he can speak Japanese!" I chuckled, seems like the littlest things can surprise Malik.

I talked to the three like it was something I did everyday. I wasn't in school for 10-15 minutes and I already had three people I felt comfortable talking to.

Yuugi wanted to see my schedule, but before I could hand it to him the teacher came in. He shouted at everyone to be quiet and to get in their own seats. "We have a new student today." My stomach became raw. Why? Why did teachers have to do this and make me the center of attention?

Everyone turned to face me. "Because of our short schedule we won't have time for Ryou to talk, so let's open our books and get started." I took a sigh of relief. I always hated standing up in the middle of class for whatever reason. My old teachers knew this, but thought it would be good for my self-esteem if I did it anyway.

I ended up sharing a book with Jounouchi since I sat right next to him. He slid his desk against mine for the day. Malik and Yuugi sat behind us, sometimes whispering about things that weren't related to class.

"You have B lunch, so that's 12:30," Malik said taking my schedule after the lesson was over. We walked to our biology class together. After this class I wouldn't see Malik until lunch. I was dreading to go to my next class by myself. "We can ask sensei if it's alright to leave a little earlier so I can show you where the cafeteria is." I nodded, hopefully.

I wasn't as nervous in this class. Being too caught up talking to Malik seems to do that. We were interrupted by a rather good looking guy. He was tall and skinny, and his long black hair in a ponytail.

"Hi, I'm Otogi," He greeted me, extended his hand.

"Ryou." I shook his hand. The people in this school seemed to be very nice. I was glad and no longer worried.

"Otogi has B lunch with us too, so does Yuugi and Jounouchi. Honda too, you'll like him when you meet him."

I didn't get to talk to Otogi that much since the teacher came in and started the lesson right away. I was full of joy when he treated me like I was a regular student there and didn't make me the center of attention.

Biology class was a lot of fun. I couldn't wait to do an experiment. Class ended too soon when Malik asked if he and I could leave early. It was a little disappointing, but I'd rather know where the cafeteria was than be lost later.

There wasn't really anything amazing about the place, just a regular lunch room with a lot of tables and chairs, a few vending machines, and a door probably leading outside.

"So I'll walk you to your class now." I could tell Malik was a little bummed for having to leave. I nodded and followed him to my creative writing class. "Just wait out here until the bell rings, okay?" I nodded, growing more nervous by each passing second.

After saying good-bye he walked off, leaving me alone like a defenseless rabbit in a room full of hungry cats.

As I waited for everyone to leave the classroom my eyes landed on the stranger from this morning. His face was expressionless as he turned his gaze toward me. I stared at him as he made his way down the hall. My face became red with embarrassment when I noticed that I have been staring at him the whole time. I looked down at the floor as I made my way into class.

The class was faster than I expected it would be. I actually had fun writing in a journal and making up characters for a story. I didn't make any friends in this class, but that was fine with me. All I needed was a pen and paper and I was set.

I quickly made my way to the lunchroom, wanting to be with people I knew as soon as possible. There were still people sending curious glances my way which made me feel awkward.

After getting to the now filled room, I scanned for Yuugi, Jounouchi, and Malik, but failed. My heart pounded as I scanned again. People were impatiently pushing me aside so I decided to get in line for food. After in line I scanned the room again. Where were they? I became frustrated and let out a moan.

"Aw, 'Kura, look at this one." I looked up to see a rather tall tan guy with messy spiky hair. He wore dark blue skinny jeans, a white shirt, and an unbuttoned jacket. I got a weird feeling by the way he was looking at me. "Hey, you wanna come over tonight? I could sho-OW!"

"Leave Ryou alone, you bastard!" I bit my lip as Malik screamed at him.

"Why would I listen to you when you just stomped my foot, baka!" They glared at each other as if they were two lions ready to pounce. I swear I could see foam coming out of Malik's mouth.

"Leave them alone, Marik. You'll just get us into trouble again." I looked over to notice the mysterious white haired guy from earlier. I couldn't read any emotions, but I thought I saw sadness in his brown eyes.

"Aw, 'Kura, don't worry. I wasn't neglecting you." The Marik guy wrapped his arms around- I guess his name was-'Kura's waist as he sighed with annoyance.

"Come on Ryou; let's just share lunch with Honda and Yuugi. I don't want to be behind these creeps." Before I could say anything Malik grabbed my arm and dragged me to the table.

"Found him!" Everyone looked up after Jounouchi spoke. "This is Honda." He pointed to a guy with brown hair and wore a tan trench coat.

I watched fascinated as Jou and Honda inhaled their food. I have never seen anyone eat the way they did. I took a bite of a carrot that Yuugi handed to me and looked around. I noticed that Marik guy and 'Kura sitting next to each other. They were wearing the same jacket. There was also another person there too- a girl. She had brown hair and the same jacket as the other two.

"That's Bakura, Marik, and Anzu," Honda stated. I looked back to all of them to find them staring at me. I took another bite of my carrot and waited for Honda to continue. Instead Malik did.

"Marik is a slut. He fucks everyone he possibly can, than goes back to Bakura." Malik's fists were clench together, his knuckles became white.

"That, and you're just mad because he cheated on you-"My eyes widened.

"Bakura and Marik aren't even dating," Jou added.

"They're really just fuck buddies," Otogi sated.

"I used to think Bakura didn't even want to be with those two, but when I asked him about it he said he wouldn't want to be anywhere else." I stared at Honda, wondering why he would ask Bakura this.

"I used to be apart of their _gang_, if you can even call it that. It's more of a clique. Anzu is a bitch, Marik is a slut, and Bakura…well no one knows anything about him but Marik."

"I heard a few people asked Bakura out, but he either walked away without saying a word, or just ditched them when they had a date." Yuugi handed me another carrot as he said this. "No one gives Bakura the time of day, many people are afraid of Anzu, and a lot of people throw themselves at Marik, knowing they'll get hurt in the end." I looked at Malik at the last part.

"Hey! I didn't know, he said that he liked me, so I thought 'hey, why not!?'" Malik looked down at the table.

"Yeah, so he took Malik's virginity and left him to go after the next guy or girl," Jounouchi added.

I looked back over to the three. Bakura looked up, probably feeling someone's eyes on him. After glancing around the room his eyes landed on me. I quickly looked down, heat rushing to my pale face.

"But what do you guys mean Marik keeps coming back to Bakura, just for sex or what?" None of this made sense to me.

"Yeah. Well that's what we hear anyways. If Marik isn't all over Bakura, than he's fucking someone else-"

"But I don't get it," I cut Otogi off, "why does Bakura let him?!" I was getting very frustrated without an answer. Everyone looked at me at first. Everyone shrugged.

"We don't know," Honda answered.

The rest of the lunch period we ate in silence. I felt bad for Bakura and I didn't even know why. Does it hurt Bakura that he and Marik aren't ever together, or that he goes and sleeps with girls and guys than goes to Bakura for more sex?

My thoughts were interrupted as the bell rang. I didn't have to worry about how to get to my other class since Malik, Otogi, and I had Physical Education together. We agreed that Otogi and I would walk to our Health class together and Malik would meet me 5 minutes before the end of class to show me how to get to my Music class.

PE and Health class went pretty fast since I got to spend it with my friends. I wasn't really interested in Music class, but I didn't want to take another language. Malik said he'd meet me at my locker and we could go get pizza with Jou, Honda, Otogi, and Yuugi. Of course I'd have to call my mom first, but I told him that'd be okay.

I waited outside of the classroom for the others to finish up. When I went to look down the hall, my head snapped back to the wall in front of me. Bakura was standing next to me. I don't think I ever felt this awkward in my life. My throat became dry and my stomach had a weird feeling. My breathing became uneven. I just couldn't stand this awkward silence.

"Are you having a panic attack?" I bit my lip and looked at him. He acted like he asked that question every day.

I couldn't find my voice so I shook my head no. I don't understand why I was acting like this.

"Oh, okay." We stood in silence until more people came to stand outside of the classroom, chattering away. A teacher had to come out in the hall to tell the students to keep it down. I guess music class usually runs late.

When we finally got into the classroom the teacher told me take a seat next to Bakura. I didn't want to, but said 'okay' and made my way toward him. I couldn't sit still and I think I was annoying him, but I couldn't control myself.

Class seemed like it went on forever and I can't remember one word the teacher said. I don't even know what we learned about. I was happy when I heard the bell ring and rushed out of the classroom toward my locker.

I opened it up and got out my sweatshirt and began waiting for Malik. That's when I noticed Bakura's locker three lockers down from mine. Before I could think about anything else Malik was in my face.

"So how did you like your first day of school?!" He asked excitedly. I looked over at Bakura's locker to see that he was already gone.

"Huh? Oh, um…it was pretty fantastic." And that was the truth. The first day of school here and I already made a few friends.

I told Malik that I had to call my mom and tell her about going to get pizza with everyone. We stopped by the office and walked toward pizza palace to meet the others.

I guess it was natural for Jou and Honda to eat the way they did. Yuugi and Otogi were playing Pac man, and Malik and I were finishing up the last bit of our pizza. I think I could get used to doing this after school.

Malik offered to walk me home, but I told him I was fine. We all said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. As I walked into the part of town I moved to I heard music. I stopped in front of Bakura's house to see him sitting on his porch listening to a radio. He was listening to a rock band. The music seemed pretty sad. I was lost in the beat and didn't notice Bakura staring at me.

He made a quiet cough and waved me over. I told myself that I should get home, but my legs had a mind of their own. Before I knew it was standing in front of Bakura. We looked at each other as the music played.

"What kind of music do you like?" He asked me. He seemed like a quiet, laid back kind of guy.

"I-I don't know…"

Bakura raised an eyebrow, "You don't know?" I bit my lip and looked away. I felt as if I said something wrong.

"Sorry, I should really be getting home." I turned away and walked toward my house, not looking back once.


	2. Chapter 2

**First off I'd like to thank Subaru1999 and InsertSmileyHere15 for your reviews. I really appreciate it and had to put this chapter up right away. =]**

**Well here's chapter two  
**

That night I had a hard time sleeping. Nighttime was always the worst. I kept thinking about my father and how much I missed him. He shouldn't have died. He left me and mom behind even though we loved him so much.

Deciding that I couldn't sleep I slipped out of bed, put on my long nightshirt which covered my boxers, grabbed my blue blanket, wrapping it around my cold body, and headed down stairs toward the kitchen.

I rummaged through boxes, putting things in the closet that I wasn't going to use away. I couldn't find the hot chocolate and was growing frustrated. Hot chocolate always seemed to make me relax when I wasn't cheerful. Mom used to make hot chocolate for me all the time in my first year of high school.

Two years ago, that's when she really knew me. She was like my best friend. We'd talk about everything; who I liked, my friends, how my days were, sad days, and happy days, everything that involved me. Those were the best years of my life, and I would do anything to get my loving mother back.

"Ryou?" I turned from the box I was looking through to see my mother. I stared back and fourth between her and the floor like I did something a wrong. "What on earth are you doing at this time? You should be sleeping. There's school tomorrow."

'I can't sleep mom' I wanted to say to her, but I just shrugged and said I was looking for something hot to drink.

"There's hot chocolate, instant coffee, and tea in the cabinet already." She nodded her head toward the cabinet. I sighed in frustration. I should have looked in there before rummaging through the boxes and wasting my time.

"Thanks," I managed to say before she walked away toward her room. Mom picked up a night job which means we don't get to see each other that much. That's something I'm going to have to get used to. While I'm at school she sleeps all day. I only see her for a few minutes before she goes to work, coming home early in the morning.

I put in an old movie as I waited for the water to get hot. After hearing the microwave beep I walked away from the television and put in the mix, stirring it to make sure it was blended well.

I could feel the sleep making its way into my eyes. My lids kept closing, the tiredness began taking over my body. I finished the rest of my hot chocolate. Too lazy to put the cup in the sink, I made my way to the comfort of my new room and crawled underneath my covers. A dreamless sleep followed.

* * *

"Ryou!" I was banged against my locker as Malik glomped me.

"Hey, Malik." We smiled, happy to see each other.

At the corner of my eye I saw Bakura opening his locker, and remembered what happened yesterday. I felt so embarrassed right now.

"Don't look at him, Ryou!" Malik whispered venomously as Bakura turned to face me. That's when I noticed I was completely facing him. Before he could walk over I raced off to class, Malik towing behind me.

Why did I keep running away from him? Why didn't I want to talk to him? It doesn't seem like Bakura is the bad person here. If anything it was me for being so rude. I _want _to talk to him, but some unspeakable force wouldn't let me.

I couldn't stay focused to the conversation we were having during lunch. I kept looking over at Bakura. Marik was all over him. Is this what the others were talking about yesterday?

"Ryou!" I snapped out of my thoughts, noticing everyone giving me confused looks. "Are you okay?" Malik asked.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"You just seem…out of it…" I looked over at everyone else and they nodded with agreement.

"I was actually up late last night. So I'm pretty tired," I replied. It was the truth, but that wasn't the reason _why _I wasn't really paying any attention. I didn't want to tell them that I was trying to figure out Bakura.

They all nodded and seemed to buy my story. Malik said that I better get sleep tonight so we could all go to the movies tomorrow. I found out it was their ritual to go to the movies every Friday night.

Gym was fun. We went outside to play at the tennis court since Hatori-sensei thought it was warm enough. He was right, spring was here and the feeling of the sun on my back was comfortable. Tennis was a great sport to play on a day like this. The air wasn't cold and stale, but nice and worth taking in what I smelled, like the brand new grass and flowers.

I never knew I was fantastic at tennis. I only missed the ball a few times, and hit it out of bounds twice. I was pro, and could hear the others in my class cheering me on. It was like being in a championship, and the person that everyone looked up to and _wanted _you to win. This felt wonderful, having almost the whole class cheering for me.

"Where did you learn to play like that?" Otogi asked me as we made our way to Health class.

I shrugged, "Honestly, that was my second time playing." I chuckled at his surprised expression.

Health class went fast, really because I was dreading to see Bakura again. My knuckles became white as I stared at the speeding clock. When the clock rang I let out a breath that I didn't even know I was holding.

I decided to go to the bathroom before class; one because I was guessing it always let out late and two because I wanted to see Bakura as less as possible. I made sure I took my time washing my hands.

"Mmm, you're that cutie I saw in lunch the other day." I stopped in my tracks when something in my mind told me to keep walking to class. Instead I turned around to face Marik.

"Umm…"

"No, its okay, don't say a word." He grabbed my arms and slammed me against one of the hard school walls. "We could have a fun time right here." He licked the side of my neck.

"Stop…please…" I choked out. I could feel the tears burning my eyes as I tried to hold them in.

He wouldn't listen. One of his hands released mine and roughly grabbed both of my wrists. His free hand moved down my body until it rested against my thigh. I squirmed around, trying to get away.

"Marik! Leave him!" Marik's hands left me and we were both facing an intimidating Bakura. His eyes showed raged, and he bared his teeth.

As much as I wanted to run away I stood there as if my feet were cemented to the floor. Bakura came over to us and slapped Marik across the cheek. "I have no problem with you fucking the whole school, but what you were doing was molesting!"

Holding his burning red cheek Marik spoke, "He was asking for it 'Kura!" The answered he got was fierce growl.

"Let's go!" Bakura snapped at me, placing his hand on my back. Not another word was spoken. I didn't look back as much as I wanted to, which made me very proud of myself.

"Thanks for joining us." We were late by just a few minutes. "Have a seat and I'd like to see the both of you after class." My heart dropped. I didn't want my mom getting called saying that her son was a bad student. And to make things worse the whole class was staring at either Bakura or I. Probably wondering why we were both together.

"Are you Bakura-sama's new fuck buddy?" A classmate asked me as quietly as possible.

"Err…no." He looked confused and disappointed.

'Great, now everybody is going to be talking about this.' I thought. There was rarely ever gossip in my old school.

Class dragged on as I tried paying attention. "Starting next week we'll be trying something new," I heard sensei say. "I would like each of you to bring a CD in of your favorite music. It can be one band or just a mix, but it _has _to be more than three songs." This sounded a little interesting. I glanced over at Bakura, remembering him listening to music the other day. I thought I would have seen a smile on his face, but he didn't look the least bit interested.

The bell rang. As everyone got out of their seats Bakura and I stayed behind. We didn't get any kind of punishment thanks to Bakura. He told sensei that he was in the office talking to a relative and that he seen me come out of the bathroom on his way over to class, and we decided to walk together. She looked sad, sensei. Like she knew Bakura was lying, but let it go.

"Do you need a ride home?" Bakura asked once we were out of the classroom. I was about to say no, but I didn't want to walk home alone again. But at the same time I'd be alone in a car with Bakura, which surprisingly didn't make me nervous as much as I thought it would.

"…yeah, that'd be great actually." He nodded.

As we walked to our lockers I saw Malik waiting for me. I looked over at Bakura who was smirking.

"Ryou, where were you?" He curiously looked at Bakura and I.

"We got held up after music class." I opened my locker, getting out my folder, notebook, and text books. I really needed to go shopping for more school supplies.

"Oh…you two are in the same class? That must be the life," Malik spoke the last part sarcastically, not caring that Bakura could over hear everything. "So do you wanna go someplace?"

I looked back over to Bakura, than back at Malik. "Ummm…actually my mom wants me home early for dinner." I looked at the floor, ashamed that I lied to one of the first people who was nice to me this school year.

"Ohh…well I'll see you tomorrow than." With that said he walked away. I knew that he was disappointed, but Bakura already said he'd drive me home.

"You shouldn't lie to your friends." I jumped after noticing Bakura was standing next to me. His face was serious.

"Oh, well...I didn't want to ditch you." Bakura laughed as I looked at him confused.

"It's just a ride home. I could do it anytime," he started walking away and I followed. "I can do it anytime. I mean you _do _live a few houses down from me, so it's no big deal."

He had me speechless. Bakura was a better person than I was right now.

He unlocked the doors to his convertible and we were off. I rolled down the window, letting the cool air blow around my hair.

Bakura put on a song which really got my attention.

_Stay up late and we'd talk all night  
_

_In a dark room lit by the TV light  
_

_Through all the hard times in my life  
_

_Those nights kept me alive._

we'd listen to the radio play all night

_Didn't want to go home to another fight  
_

_Through all the hard times in my life  
_

_Those nights kept me alive._

"What's the name of this song?"

"Those Nights by Skillet," he answered me. "Its one of my favorite songs, reminds me of a special friend that got me through all my hard times." He stopped there. I nodded, not sure if he knew I was listening or not.

"How old are you?" The question was already out before I knew I was thinking it.

Bakura chuckled, "Eighteen. You?" He glanced over at me for a few seconds.

"So you're a senior? I'm seventeen and a junior." I felt so comfortable right now which wasn't normal for me. I was surprised that I was the first to ask a question. Right now, Bakura felt like a friend that I've known for quite a while.

"Yes, a senior."

The rest of the ride was quiet except the playing music. This was nice, riding in a car with Bakura. This was definitely something I could get used to. But Malik…

The car stopped and I noticed we were in front of Bakura's house. We quietly got out and in a few seconds facing each other.

"Thanks for the ride." I became nervous again.

He patted my head, "No problem," and gave me a small smile. "Don't hesitate to ask for a ride."

Bakura was half way up his driveway, "Tomorrow?" He turned around, giving me a small smile and nodded his head.

**Hope this was okay. This chapter was actually pretty hard to write, but I managed to do it.**

**Hope you guys liked it and don't hesitate to review =]**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm sorry this is so late. Things at home haven't been that well and I have no inspiration…I'm sorry again. Hope you guys enjoy this. I tried my hardest =]**

_Ryou, _

_Sorry I couldn't see you before I left._

_I left money so that you could go get school supplies._

_Also, if you have extra money left don't hesitate to buy yourself something to eat._

_Love you,_

_Mom. Xoxoxoxo_

I shoved the money that lied underneath the note into my pocket. I wished that mom could have taken me to the store, but I knew she had a busy schedule to support us both. I was grateful for that. I should also be looking for a job, but I knew mom wouldn't accept any money I would give her.

Deciding to get the school supplies out of my way I headed out of the house, locking the door, and made my way down the street.

"Going somewhere?" I jumped at the familiar tone, realizing that I was already at Bakura's house. I stopped and looked toward my left to see a joking smile on his face.

I smiled back, "Just getting school supplies." I shrugged.

He flicked his cigarette butt into the yard, standing up and making his way toward me. "Let's go," he said, getting out his car keys.

By the time he made his way to the driver's seat I understood what he said, "Oh, no! That's okay, you're probably busy-"

"Get in the car." He still smiled, but his tone was a little more demanding. I happily obliged to his demand and got into the passenger's side.

"So what do you need?" He asked, racing toward the stores

"Notebooks, pens, pencils-the usual." I saw him nod and put a CD into the CD player. This song was happier, techno like.

"Bell the Cat by LM.C," he simply states as if he knew I wanted to ask what song this was. I couldn't help but dance in my seat. The beat was amazing. I don't see how anyone could sit through this. I didn't care that Bakura was quietly laughing beside me.

This boy-he was anything but a jerk.

After getting my supplies I made my way toward the music aisle where Bakura said he'd be waiting for me. I stopped in my tracks after seeing Marik with his arms around Bakura's waist, his back leaning against Marik's. They were looking at CDs, not even noticing my staring.

I didn't know if I should walk up to them or just leave. Before I could even decide on an answer Bakura waved me over.

"Hey, its the cutie from school." Marik has a flirtatious grin as he removed his arms from Bakura. I felt very uncomfortable which Bakura noticed.

"We really should get going. Ryou needs to get home," He walked over to me. "See 'ya Marik."

We made our way to the car. Marik was leaning against the passenger side, arms crossed. "I figured I would come with you," he stated once we reached him. "We can drop Ryou off at home, and than go to your place and…" He trailed off.

"Where the hell is your bike?" Bakura asked.

"Its in the shop, it decided to stop running or something…"

No music was played on the drive home. I sat in the back as Bakura and Marik talked. There voices were low, I could hear them if I wanted to, but I decided to shut them out.

"Sorry about this," Bakura said as he made his way over to my side. "Why don't you come over tomorrow after school? We could make dinner and have a movie night." He smiled, but his eyes looked sad.

Malik told me about the movies every Friday, but I really wanted to hang out with Bakura. Besides, a movie at a friend's house was better than actually going to the movies. "Sure." I smiled, ignoring Marik who stared at us on Bakura's porch impatiently.

I hated this house; it was too lonely, even when mom _is _here. I sighed and decided to have a bowl of ramen and start my homework.

I didn't know why I thought I could concentrate. I was too excited about tomorrow.

**Sorry it was so short. I should have added more things, I know I should have. The next chapter will be longer, I promise, and better =]**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry it's so long. It's really pure laziness; I'm not going to lie. But when I think about other's who stopped their stories, I understand what it feels like, so that's why I want to continue this story. Getting ideas for future chapters also motivated me to get to those future chapters. I won't rush this story though, so I'm sorry if these chapters take long.**

**This chapter was fun to write.**

I couldn't get a lot of sleep last night; too much thinking about my past and my dead father. Waking up was the hardest thing to do. I wanted to slam my alarm against the wall and hide the rest of the day in my covers.

But I knew I couldn't do that. I didn't want to fall behind in school. That's the last thing I wanted to happen. Of course, mom would get a little angry at the whole "skipping school" plan. So deciding to get up I threw my covers off of me and headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth.

When there was a knock on my door I forgot about the jeans I was holding and flew down the stairs, having quite a good idea of who it would be.

"I'm guessing I came a little _too _early." Bakura tried hiding his smile with his hand. I glanced down and remembered I was only in my boxers.

I squealed, slamming the door shut in Bakura's face and headed toward the steps. Once I made my way to the first step I realized what I have done, turned around, and opened the door again. "I'm sooooo sorry!" I took Bakura's sleeve and pulled him inside, than quickly made my way to my room.

Today was not turning out well at all. I couldn't believe Bakura just saw me in my underwear!

Sighing, I grabbed my backpack and made my way downstairs. He must have been in deep thought because it was clear there was pain on the boy's face. My heart broke just by looking at him. The pain and sadness quickly disappeared when I stepped on a squeaky step.

"I thought we could go to the bakery." I nodded. I still had some extra money left from the school supply money. I hadn't eaten breakfast either.

"That'd be great!"

Bakura got a coffee while I ordered a cappuccino and a strawberry filled powered doughnut. We ate our "breakfast" in silence, making it feel like something we usually did together.

"Any movie recommendations?"

Swallowing the last piece of my doughnut, "Uhm, something…romantic?" It was hard to even think of a movie when I didn't know what Bakura liked. Maybe he liked musicals…

Bakura's chuckle cut off my thinking. "So you're that kind of guy; the romantic cheesy type."

"I'm sorry…I just…well…"

"I'm kidding. Relax." He patted my head. "Romance it is. I might have something, if not we can go to the Blockbuster." He really knew how to make me smile, that's for sure.

"So I'm guessing you'll want a ride?" Bakura smiled, knowing for a fact that's exactly what I wanted. We decided at the bakery we'd go straight to his house.

"Ryou!" Malik glomped me. Was this going to be how he greeted me every school day? Malik was going to say something until he saw Bakura. His smile was replaced, and he started glaring.

"I'll see you later." Bakura patted my head, causing me to smile at the touch, and departed.

"What was that about?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Malik followed me to our class. Now, how was I going to tell him I couldn't go to the movies because I'm spending that time with Bakura?

Everyone attacked with questions of their own when Malik gossiped to the "group." All he did was pat my head, it wasn't the biggest deal.

"I'm going to get some lunch." Anything to get away from all those questions. I shot a glance over to Bakura, Marik, and Anzu before going up to the lunch line.

Jumping at the pat on my head, I turned around to face a smiling Bakura. I smiled back.

"Everyone is asking me questions."

Bakura raised an eyebrow, "Like?"

"Are you and Bakura friends now, did he touch you, are you guys hanging out, did you two sleep together? The list keeps going…" The response I got back from him was a chuckle and another pat on my head.

"What were you two talking about?" I rolled my eyes at Malik's question when I made my way back to the lunch table with my tray of food.

"Really, it's nothing, guys. Promise."

"Well is there any specific movie you wanted to see?" Yuugi asked. Uh-oh. I knew that I had to tell them I wasn't going, but I really didn't want to get into this now.

"Uhm…" How was I supposed to start this?

"Oh, no! You can't go!?" Malik looked devastated. "Is there anyway I can talk to one of your parents?"

"Actually…I was…g-going over to Bakura's tonight…" There, I said it. I felt relieved that I got that out, but not by the shocked faces on everyone. "I'm really sorry, guys," I said as the bell for the end of lunch rang. Part of me was sorry, the other part didn't care.

Bakura wasn't in our music class which had me worried that he wasn't at school anymore. That would suck. No one else is talking to me, especially Malik. During classes I tried talking to Otogi and Malik, but Otogi gave me small noises. Malik, he acted like I didn't even exist.

I've been getting many stares since lunch. It's kind of annoying, really. It's obvious that everyone is talking about me when their eyes are on me and whispering into each other's ears.

The same guy who asked if I was Bakura's fuck buddy asked if we were dating. I simply state no, letting him understand that I was annoyed.

Walking to my locker after music, I noticed Bakura and Marik engaged in a conversation against a wall. Marik was intimidating so I decided to walk to my locker and wait for him there.

Malik and the others were also having a conversation. They showed no attention to my presence after walking past. It's not like me joining them for the movie was a definite yes, so they really weren't acting like goods friends. That's what was crossing my mind, but deep inside, I knew it wasn't them being the shitty friends.

"Hey," A voice greeted me after slamming his locker shut.

"Hey, why weren't you in class?" Bakura loved music. It was a little surprising that he wasn't there.

"Oh, well, you know, sometimes you just need a break and have to skip." Bakura patted my head as he took my backpack and slung it over the same shoulder where his bag was. His voice seemed a little far away and I couldn't stop the feeling that he might be lying to me.

After getting back to his house, Bakura placed our bags on the chairs in his living room, than dialed the pizza place number. He told me to look through the movies and find anything that looked enjoyable.

We settled on Romeo and Juliet. The movie was sad and broke my heart, but it always reminded me how strong love can be. Even if it makes you do stupid things sometimes.

Being too engaged in the movie, I didn't noticed that Bakura kept sliding over to me until his arm rested around my shoulders. Instead of awkwardness, it felt nice. After getting used to the rapid beating of my heart, I cuddled closer to him.

I didn't know what was going on; why it felt so perfect to be wrapped in his arms, or the thought of being around Bakura felt so calming. My eyes closed as I tried to understand all this, not paying any attention to the movie anymore.

"'Ya know, this really isn't the kind of movie to be cuddling to." Bakura stroked my hair. It felt nice. Chuckling a little, I looked up at him.

Bakura's face was pale, flawless. His eyes were a dark chocolaty brown, like a warm cup of coco. His lips…they looked soft and full…Moving a strand of hair away from my face, he leant forward.

Now, most people would close their eyes, but mine stayed opened. Thoughts were ransacking my brain. Before I could process any of them, and before our lips touched, Bakura's front door burst opened.

I thought it might have been a robbery, but Marik ran right into the room. He stopped dead in his tracks, looking between Bakura and me.

"Movie night, Marik. What do you want?" As much as Bakura tried hiding up his annoyance, it could still be heard.

"Some people are just assholes!" Marik flung his arms up in the air. "Look, let's go up in your room and talk about it." Marik winked at Bakura. It was obvious that they wouldn't be doing any talking.

Looking back at Bakura, I was shocked to see him smirking. It looked like there was a hint of sadness in his eyes, but it was too hard to tell.

"Wait for me upstairs." My heart dropped as Marik disappeared up to-I'm guessing- Bakura's room.

Sighing, I stood up and headed to the kitchen to get my backpack. So much for movie night.

Bakura followed me, "Want me to walk you home."

I turned and glared at him, "No, I think I can manage," I spit out.

My words hurt him, but at the moment I didn't care. He ditched me to have sex with his best friend and I didn't understand why! My heart felt like it was stepped on, and my throat burned as I tried not to cry.

"Listen…I'm sorry…let's do something tomorrow-"

"No," I cut him off. "For all I know you could ditch me to have sex with someone…" I slung my bag over my shoulder, walking past him to the front door.

"I only sleep with Marik," He stated. One thought ran through my mind. _Why? _I was too afraid to ask him and was too mad to let him know that I cared.

"Like that makes it any better!" I screamed. I slammed the door behind me, running home. Tears fell down my face as I locked my bedroom door. Hiding my head between my knees, I let my uncontrolled sobs take over me.

Bakura was nice guy, I knew he was, but why would he ditch me to sleep with Marik? I wanted to understand, it felt like something I deservedto know. There were so many questions I wanted to ask him…

I remembered Honda what everyone told me on my first day of school. Marik came to Bakura because apparently he wasn't with anyone. So that means he's using Bakura. What made me very angry was that Bakura _let _Marik take advantage of him.

"Why?" I asked the silent room.

**I hope this is okay… I hope everyone continues reading.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm sorry I haven't updated for such a long time. I lost all my motivation, but this story stayed in my mind. I've played out the ideas in my head but every time I opened a word document I couldn't type anything.**

**I'm hope you guys like this chapter.**

**

* * *

**

The weekend went by fast. It's because Bakura was the last person on earth I wanted to see. My friends didn't want anything to do with me. Dad always told me to never ditch friends because something will always come back and bite you in the ass. He was definitely right. Dad was the first person I went to with my problems, but it looks like this time I'm on my own.

I made sure that Bakura already left so we wouldn't bump into each other. The only problem was avoiding him for the rest of my life. Everyone told me not to get involved with him, something that I should have listened to.

Classes would start soon, but for some reason being late didn't bother me as much as I thought it would.

After going to my locker I power walked to class.

"Thank you for joining us, Ryou. Do you have a pass?" I shook my head while walking to my seat, seeing everyone staring at me. "Well, don't make this a habit." The teacher said and went back to his lecture.

I could see Malik glaring at me as I sat down. It took everything in my power not to break down. Chewing the inside of my lip, I laid my forehead against my hand. These tears wouldn't be able to stay behind these walls for much longer.

"He's such a jerk," Malik whispered to probably Yugi. "We all were so nice to him, he doesn't deserve friends."

My lip was quivering now. The first tear escaped and made a wet trail down my face. Deciding it was a bad idea to stay in class; I grabbed my books and ran out of the classroom, not caring about my screaming teacher.

The hallways were deserted so it seemed like a good idea to go sit at my locker. _Cry at your locker is more like it. _That annoying voice corrected me.

After making it to my locker I released the tears that were dying to escape. Sobbing into my knees, I didn't hear my name quietly being said. I jumped at the light touch on my shoulder and looked up.

"Ba-kura…" He squatted down to reach my eye level.

Right now I don't care that he ditched me, I don't care that my new friends now hate me. I hate feeling so alone and not having my dad hold me. So I did the first thing that I thought of; I threw my arms around Bakura's neck and sobbed into his shoulder. No words were spoken. He didn't even push me away.

Instead of going to class, Bakura offered to take me out to a coffee shop and then drive me home. As much as I wanted to reject and be mad at him, I couldn't.

"What happened?" Bakura asked after walking back with our orders, handing me my coffee. He didn't seem curious at all. It was more like, I don't care what happened but I don't know what else to talk about.

I couldn't find my voice so I shrugged and took a sip. He watched me with intense eyes but no words were spoken. We decided to drink our coffee in his car while he drove us home.

"Thanks," I murmured after getting out of the car.

I started walking toward my house but stopped when I heard Bakura speak up. "Do you wanna come in for a while?" This was one of the great things about Bakura. He asked a question and didn't care about giving an explanation.

I turn around. "Sure."

Déjà vu I thought when we sat on his couch and he put a movie in. Bakura put a lot of space between. This felt kind of awkward; sitting down and not saying anything. Maybe it's because he saw me crying or was it the other day when I flipped out on him?

I don't know why, but I started feeling very confident when I looked over at Bakura. He was looking at the television but he wasn't watching what was on it. His chin was resting on his hand.

I put my coffee on the table in front of the couch and crawled over to him. "Can we try this again?" I whispered after straddling him. He blinked his eyes once, twice, trying to figure out why I was sitting on him. "With no interruptions this time?" We moved toward each other until our lips brushed together. His hand made its way to the back of my neck, causing our kiss to become deeper.

Something tells me the little relationship I have with Bakura won't be the same ever again. I don't know if this is a good or bad thing.


	6. Chapter 6

"Everyone hates me," I randomly spat out.

Bakura and I were on his front porch so he could smoke a cigarette. It was getting late; the sun was already fading. I didn't want to go home yet.

"What do you mean?" He took a drag of his cigarette, inhaled and blew out the smoke. He turned his head to look at me, like he was interested.

Sighing, I decided to tell him everything. "Malik told me not to get involved with you and on the same day…well, when Marik interrupted us, I was supposed to hang out with them…" My throat was getting dry. "So I ditched them so I could spend time with you…"

He still showed no expression when he said, "Talk to them."

Thank Ra he didn't ask why I wanted to spend time with him.

"What?"

He put his cigarette out in the ash tray and moved over to sit next to me. "Talk to them, Ryou," He lightly strokes my cheek. "You need your friends. If they are true friends, they'll listen and understand. I may not be trustworthy, but please take this advice." His eyes were sad. It's the first real emotion I've seen him show.

"Okay…" I hugged him tightly, not wanting to let go.

"Maybe one day I'll tell you everything…but that'll be a long time from now…"

_Bakura, I think I'm falling for you._

The next day I took Bakura's advice to heart and decided to talk to Malik. My heart was pounding as I walked up to his locker.

After obnoxiously clearing my throat, he turned around. Malik's face went from confusion to a squint up angry face.

"What do you want?"

"I want to apologize for being a complete ass and hoping we can be friends again…" I didn't have the courage to look into his eyes.

"Oh, so did that ass dick you over already?"

My eyes shot up, he was still mad. "No, we're fine. Actually, he's the one who gave me the advice to talk to you…"

Malik's eyes widened. "…Bakura, the complete ass who has no heart for anyone but his fuck buddy, gave you that advice?"

I nodded. "I don't know why people think he's an ass, but he does have a hea-" Malik glomped me.

"You like Bakura!" He teased me, a smile on his face.

"Shut up!" This was great; Malik seems like he's forgiven me.

"I still think he's a complete ass and I don't like him, but I'll respect your feelings. I just don't want to see you hurt…"

"And if that happens, I know you'll be here for me." I smiled. "Now let's get to class."

The rest of the day went great; everyone accepted my apology and the classes went fast. Today couldn't possibly get better.

"Do you want to do something this weekend? Maybe have a picnic at the park?" Malik asks me while we walked to our lockers.

"Sure, that sounds-" Malik and I stopped in our tracks when we saw Marik pressing Bakura up against his locker. They were locking lips and Marik seemed like he couldn't get enough of Bakura.

"Oh, hell no!" Before I could grab Malik's arm he was stomping toward Bakura and Marik. "You are a heartless bastard! You have no heart for anyone but this player!" He points at Marik. "And you, you are a despicable human being! You probably have a shit load of diseases and I hope you pass every single one to this ass hole!"

"Malik…" My voice was too low for him to hear.

Marik had an evil grin on his face. "If you want me, all you have to do is ask."

Malik turned his head toward Marik. "You think I _want _you? You are a conceited filthy bastard! Stay away from Ryou, both of you!" Malik grabbed my arm and we rushed outside. So much for getting my books out of my locker.

"Ryou…" Malik puts his arms around me. "I don't want to say I told you so, so I won't."

_I may not be trustworthy…_Those words entered my brain. Is this what he meant? My mind shut down and I pressed my face into Malik's chest.

_I wish I understood you…_

Malik stayed with me until 10 that night. He called his mom up and told her a friend needed him and he would be home an hour after curfew.

"If you need anything at all, call me. I'll make sure I'll answer." He wiped a tear that escaped and gave me a quick hug goodbye.

A long hot shower sounded good right about now. I walked up to the bathroom and stripped while the hot water ran. All I could think about is how shitty I felt.

After the shower I hopped into bed, not like I could sleep.

Something or someone tapped on my window. The first time I didn't think anything about it, but the next few times I knew someone was there. I didn't know whether to hide under my blankets, open the window or call the cops. Mom wouldn't be home for another 3 hours.

I decided to take the house phone off my night stand. If it was someone I didn't know I'd call the cops as soon as possible.

My heart beat faster when I saw who was there. I opened the window.

"I need to talk to you…you need to understand." Bakura sounded urgent.

"Understand what, Bakura? Why you hurt me? Why Marik is your lover? Wh-"

"Marik isn't my lover, Ryou!"

"Whatever! He's something no one else can compare with to you!"

I was steaming mad. How could I go from being happy, to insanely sad, to completely pissed off?

"Can you please just sit down so I can talk?" Even though my light wasn't on, the street light illuminated his face. He was dead serious.

I sighed, "Fine."

He didn't talk right away. I sighed again with frustration.

"My…my dad used to rape me." My head shot up to look at him; he was staring at his hands that were resting on his lap. "It started when I turned 15. He told me I was his favorite person. I was terrified of him. Home was the last place I wanted to go to. When I actually gained courage to tell my mom, she didn't believe me or maybe she didn't care. I don't know…my mom and I didn't have a relationship.

"The summer before 9th grade I started cutting. Suicide was the only thing on my mind, but I could never bring myself to actually do it. Why my dad never realized the cuts on my legs or arms, I have no idea. Or maybe he did see them and ignored them…"

Bakura stopped talking. I moved closer to him, placing my hand on his. "You don't have to continue…" He looked into my eyes, his eyes full of tears.

"You need to understand about this whole thing with Marik…"

"It's okay. Take your time." I nuzzled my head against his shoulder.

"I met Marik in 9th grade. He was always happy and tried talking to me. I ignored him because he annoyed me. One day, near the end of the school year, he jumps from the back of this bench I was sitting on to sit next to me. What he said changed my life, changed the way I viewed him. He said 'You're hurting.' It wasn't a question. I remember him turning his head to look in my eyes. 'Tell me about it.' He said. He was no longer an annoying kid who I didn't give two shits about. He really cared and he became the hope I needed."

A small smile made its way onto Bakura's face.

"Marik is my savior, Ryou. He came to my house, told me to pack my shit, and come live with him. He told my dad that I had videos of what he did, and if he ever tries to find me, he'd make his life a living hell. The first part was obviously a lie; I'd never have the courage to videotape what he did and definitely no balls to take him to court. My mom already didn't care about me so it wasn't hard at all.

Marik lived by himself. I can't tell you why. His story is confidential. He even found me a job to support myself. Eventually, I moved out, got my own house, and here I am now. I'll never be able to thank him enough for saving me. That's why I let him to do what he does; because I always want him to be happy."

Silence. What was I supposed to say? Thanks for telling me? Wow, you had a shitty childhood? I completely understand even though I don't?

Bakura looks at me, "…and that's it. I'll let you get some rest."

"Wait!" I screamed when Bakura sat up. "Stay with me, just for tonight."

Bakura didn't say anything when he laid down on my bed and pulled me down with him.

"Thanks for listening," Bakura whispered before he drifted off to sleep.

How was I going to explain myself to Malik?


End file.
